SCHENECTADY— For generations, Capital District families have walked through The Costumer’s doors to piece together the most unique costume among friends.
The Costumer has grown significantly from its humble beginnings in 1917. It started as a small costume shop in Schenectady by Anna White, who started the business by trading garb for her daughter’s dance lessons. The local business is now the nation’s leading source for providing costumes to scholastic theatre productions.
“I think a lot of people are trying to get as much back to normal as they possibly can. We’ve already had people in the store, not just getting ideas, but actually purchasing things,” said Bonnie Johnsen, who co-owns the store with her husband, Erik. “So that’s exciting.”
The pandemic put a clamp on Halloween for many families who were concerned with keeping themselves safe from COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control tried its best to quell concerns. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy, said going door-to-door last year would have been “reasonably safe.” Nonetheless, door bells went relatively quiet compared to years’ past.
“Last year, we saw young kids try to do the best thing they could,” Johnsen said, whether they tried trick or treating, small neighbor gatherings or trunk or treating. So I think there’s a lot of excitement to try and do Halloween back to the way they’re used to doing Halloween.”
Precautionary measures are taken at The Costumer to keep the virus at bay, Johnsen explained that both rental and packaged costumes are disinfected and taken out of inventory after customers have tried them on. In all, customers have over 7,000-square feet of costumes, make-up, props and accessories from which to choose. The incredible breadth of choices leads a writer to use analogies involving candy shops and children, but with weeks remaining before Halloween, there’s another one-day event that comes to mind. “Well, it is our Christmas, absolutely,” Johnsen said. “You’ve got to check out the new store. It is truly amazing.”
As Johnsen has already observed families walking away with ideas for Halloween celebrations, she said she’s seeing a familiar trend. The one suggestion she makes for all is to hit the store early enough to ensure kids and adults can find what they are looking for.
“I think people are going to continue, as we saw last year, to stick to a lot of the classic things,” she said. “Think witches, vampires, zombies [and] a lot of classic horror characters, too. … I think that’s going to continue to be popular.”
What sets The Costumer apart from other stores is its retail support staff that’s able to navigate customers through the variety of masks, package costumes and accessories throughout the store. Come to the store with a picture of the character you want to capture for Halloween, and walk out with everything you need to make it happen.